Intersections
by SingerMe
Summary: Sometimes people intersect with your life and make it better, sometimes worse. But either way, it can change your life, and theirs, forever. – Unknown
1. Chapter 1

**Intersections**

**Every doorway, every intersection has a story. - Katherine Dunn**

**Sometimes people intersect with your life and make it better, sometimes worse. But either way, it can change your life, and theirs, forever. – Unknown**

I don't own these characters. I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had than that.

**(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(**L&A**)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)**

"Shane?" A bleached blonde head popped out of the shack doorway and regarded the tall man with questioning green eyes. "When ya gonna have that car fixed? We ain't making no money stuck in this place, ya know."

Shane Carmichael's dark blonde head peeked out from under the hood of the rusted Chevy and regarded the voluptuous girl with something less than appreciation. He had been attracted to her at her first, not only to her hot body but her backwoods way of talking. It was so different than the bluebloods he'd been brought up around.

But now, after six weeks together, she was getting damn annoying.

When he'd first met her, he'd just held up a gas station and needed a getaway car, as the one he'd stolen that morning had been blocked by a large truck. Rita, dressed in short shorts and a halter top, was leaning provocatively against her rag top Chevy Camaro, filling her car with gas and looking at him with unabashed interest.

"Want to go for a ride?" He'd asked her as he ran to her car and jumped, uninvited, into the driver's seat.

Rita hadn't questioned or protested the stranger taking over her car. Instead, she jerked the pump from her car, jumped into the passenger seat beside him and hollered, "Go!"

He didn't have to be coaxed.

They had held up two more gas stations and a pizza place and slept together before they had actually gotten down to formal introductions.

He was Shane Carmichael. Tall, dark blonde hair, chiseled good looks with deep piercing blue eyes and dimples that totally distracted any woman he happened to smile at. Of course his well-honed physique didn't hurt either. He had been a star athlete in school and still had the muscle and posture of an Adonis.

His parents were rich attorneys from Boston who didn't understand their less-than-perfect, college dropout son who absolutely hated stiff suits and stiff people and had taken off one day to have, as he called it, a little fun.

Of course his idea of fun was different than others.

He liked fast cars and fast women and easy money. His parents didn't agree with him and absolutely refused to fund his exploits, telling him it was their way or the highway. He chose the highway. And although there were times, like now, that he questioned his judgment in the matter, he was determined he would never go back.

Of course that meant that he had to rob a gas station from time to time or a store or any place else where he thought he could score quickly and with not too much risk. He'd had a couple of close calls, but so far, he hadn't been caught and no one knew his name. He wanted to keep it that way. As a matter of fact, he'd just about kill to keep it that way.

She was Rita Conwell, poor daughter of inpoverished parents who had dropped out of school in her junior year because she was 'bored'. Of course, truth be told, it wasn't so much boredom as it was confusion, irritation and even a touch of fear that drove her out.

She wasn't the smartest of kids and certainly not one of the richest. Those facts alone put her at odds with some of the more popular girls. But there was also the fact that Rita was prettier than a lot of those girls and certainly attracted more boys than those girls and that made them hate her and consequently they made high school hard for her.

As a consequence she hated school. She only stayed in as long as she did because her parents would drag her, sometimes literally, kicking and screaming to the two story brick building which housed the final 4 grades of the Pea Ridge school district. Pea Ridge, population 4794 in the northwest corner of Arkansas was best known for having the most intact Civil War battlefield in the United States, if you cared for that sort of thing.

But Rita didn't care in the slightest. She hated her home town, considering it too small and backwards for her. When her boyfriend of the time, lanky Rodney Stovall with the hard body and ear rings, took off to 'see the world', she went with him.

Of course, she didn't stay with him. They had made it all the way to Washington DC and living in a one way motel when she came home after work at a pizza joint to find him in bed with another girl. Rita didn't have a high IQ, but she knew when she was being cheated on.

Striking out on her own, she realized quickly that she wasn't going to make it on her smarts. But she had other assets, assets that certain rich men were quite willing to pay some serious money to use. Sometimes the requests made of her, were kind of disgusting and some downright painful, but those times she charged extra. To her way of thinking, everyone won in those situations.

The day she'd literally ran away with Shane Carmichael, she'd just left a nearby motel where she'd earned herself one of those extra-large paydays. When the tall, beautiful man jumped into her car and asked if she wanted to ride, she remembered silently laughing at the fact that she'd already done that. But as he was taking her car, she'd figured she might as well take another.

Now here they were, six weeks later, stuck in a shack in the backwoods of Virginia with a rusty Chevy Nova that refused to start. Her car had gotten a load of buckshot at the last place they'd robbed, a week ago, and they'd had to abandon it. They came upon this decrepit hulk of tin when the owner had neglectfully left it idling while he ran into a burger joint for the latest combo meal.

It had gotten them away from the area they were in and out here to this deserted shack, but it didn't appear that it was going to get them much further. The money they'd taken last week was still sitting in a little sack. But they couldn't use it because they couldn't go anywhere to use it, besides it had been a very small haul.

"Shane!" Rita was demanding his attention again and it was getting on his last nerve. "Is that thang gonna run or not?"

Shane took a deep breath and threw the wrench, he'd found in the trunk, to the ground, giving her an angry scowl. "I'm doing the best I can, Rita." He said sternly. "If you think you're so smart, why you come out here and fix this 'thang'?"

Rita wasn't too bright, but she was smart enough to know when she'd made him mad. "I was only askin'." She muttered as she turned and went back inside the abandoned house.

Shane took a deep breathe, stretched his back and then bent down and reclaimed the wrench. He didn't know a lot about mechanics, other than helping his high school buddies work on their hot rods, but he figured he could get this rattletrap started and running enough to least them somewhere closer to civilization. Unless he was mistaken, Arlington wasn't too far away. Surely he could find something there.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

"Mother." Amanda called as she claimed a light jacket from the hall closet. "I'm getting ready to head out. You sure you don't want anything? Marvelous Marvin's has a special on their fish sandwiches. I know you like those."

"Oh, thank you, darling." Dotty looked up as Amanda came into the kitchen shrugging into her jacket and looking for her purse. "But I'm not really all that hungry. I think I'll have a glass of milk with a splash of Galliano and go upstairs to my room when you get home." She handed Amanda her purse from the counter in front of her.

"Thank you." Amanda took the purse. "You sure you don't want something?" Amanda questioned again. She knew her mother all too well.

"Well…" Dotty hesitated. "Alright, you talked me into it. But just the sandwich. I don't want any fries or anything."

"Alright, Mother." Amanda smiled as she leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll be back in a little bit. Boys." She called over her shoulder to her sons sitting on the couch watching cartoons. "Make sure you get your homework done. If you have any questions, I'll help you when I get back."

"Alright, Mom." Phillip answered, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

"Don't forget my Chocko Blocko shake." Jaime called after her as she headed out the back door.

"I won't, Sweetheart." Amanda replied, closing the door and walking out to the station wagon. Getting in, she started the car and took off down the street.

As she drove along, Amanda's mind on was on several different things at once. Dinner, and her need to get gas in the station wagon. Mr. Melrose had asked her to come in the next morning to transcribe some surveillance tapes.

Dean had called and wanted to come over and talk. She'd already called it off between them and made it clear in every way that she could, that it just would not work out between the two of them. But he refused to accept that and had even tried to recruit her mother in his campaign to get her back. Fortunately, Dotty had declined, even though she'd already told Amanda she thought she should give him another chance.

Jamie had a spelling test tomorrow, so she'd need to go over his words with him tonight. Phillip had baseball practice night after next.

Her mother's worry over the flowers in the back yard that kept getting trampled.

And Lee. The usual reason for those demolished flowers.

Amanda sighed. She hadn't seen Lee in a few days. He'd been out of town but was supposed to return today. She had missed him, she realized, though she couldn't exactly say why. It wasn't as though they were dating or anything and she already had a boyfriend. But still, there was something about the tall, hazel eyed man with the beautiful dimples that…

"Stop that, Amanda. Dean is your boyfriend, not Lee." She spoke out loud without thinking. With a rueful shake of her head, she turned on her blinkers and turned at the next intersection.

Wilson's gas station was just around the corner and she wanted to get gas before she went after the food. Wilson's was a little out of the way, but Amanda had known the older man for years so she always stopped there when she could.

But as she made the turn, Amanda didn't realize that she was about to reach another intersection, one not so easily gotten through.

**(*(*(**L&A**)*)*)**

"You sure this thang is gonna hold together?" Rita asked, for what seemed to Shane, for the millionth time.

He took a deep breath before replying, trying to rein in his temper, which was getting increasingly hard to do. "It'll get us to that gas station up ahead and that's all that it needs to do, Rita." He snapped at her. "Now shut up."

Rita cast a glare over at her riding and robbing companion, crossing her arms defiantly in front of her. Shane could be such a pig sometimes, and then other times, like at night, when they were in bed, he could be so…

"Get ready to go." He interrupted her thoughts. "There's only one car in the drive so taking this place shouldn't be hard or take too long."

"What are we gonna do about wheels?" She asked.

"Like I said," Shane shook his head in irritation, "there's one car in the drive. That station wagon will do just fine."

As the rusty, gray, green Chevy Nova made its way down the street towards the service station, Amanda stepped inside to pay for her gas and chat with Mr. Wilson.

"Mr. Wilson," Amanda smiled at the elderly gentleman. "How are you today?"

"Oh, just tolerable, Mrs. King." He smiled genially at her. She was one of his favorite customers of the few that he had. "How about you and your boys? And how's that beautiful mother of yours?"

Amanda smiled. Mr. Wilson had had something akin to a crush on Dotty West for some time, but as he was a good 20 years older, Dotty never gave him a chance. "I want someone my age, Amanda." Dotty had said once. "Not your grandfather's age."

"Mother and the boys are fine, Mr. Wilson." Amanda told him as she handed over the cash to pay for her gas. "I'll tell them you asked about them."

"You do that," Wilson grinned. "Especially your mother."

Amanda started to reply when suddenly two people with stocking caps on their heads rushed into the station with guns in their hands. Amanda could tell by their body shape they were male and female but little else. The man pointed his gun first at Amanda and then at Mr. Wilson. "Give me everything you have in that till old man, and be quick about it."

As Mr. Wilson shakily opened his till, the girl, moved around behind the counter and placed her gun directly on the elderly man's temple. "Don't make me use this." She warned.

"Leave him alone." Amanda demanded. "Take the money but leave him alone."

The man looked over at Amanda, his eyes slowly raking her body. "You're not too bad looking." He told her as he moved a little closer to her. "Want to come to with us?"

"I most certainly do not." Amanda quickly stepped backwards and jerked her head away as he reached for a strand of her hair.

"Leave her alone, Shane." Rita snarled at him from behind her mask.

Shane whirled around. "Damn, it! What did I tell you about names? Now we're gonna have to kill these two."

"No!" Amanda protested. "Please. Look, I have two little boys that need me. And Mr. Wilson there has family. Besides, one name isn't enough to identify you. I mean, we can't see your faces and we don't know her name and well, there's no need and…"

"Shut up." Shane demanded, instantly silencing the pretty brunette. For several minutes, Shane stared at the woman in front of him. Though she was probably a couple years older than him, she was a looker. Prettier than Rita and a whole lot more natural. "Tell ya, what." He moved in on her again. "You agree to come with us, and you and this old codger here will stay alive. What you say?"

Amanda swallowed hard, darting a glance at Mr. Wilson and then at the tall man in front of her. She didn't want to go with him. However, she didn't want to die either. But then her mind flashed on Lee. Lee, since they'd met, somehow, had always known when she was in trouble and he'd always saved her.

Taking a leap of faith that he would this time as well, she nodded. "Alright." She grimaced as he moved even closer. "I'll go with you, but please leave him alone." She nodded towards the now quaking older man behind the counter.

Smiling beneath his mask, Shane reached out and grabbed her arm. "Then let's go." Shoving her out the door in front of him, Shane pointed at the station wagon. "That yours?"

Amanda shook her head. "I guess it's yours now."

Shane grinned. "You got that right, baby. That car and you both are now mine. Come on."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Forgot to mention, this is set in Season one.**

The next morning, Lee stepped out of the elevator closet with a grin on his face and buoyancy to his step. He had just nabbed Vladimir Krinsky, a Russian agent many people had been after, and he was feeling pretty good.

That was until he took a look around him as he walked into the bull pen. Those few people, who dared to meet his gaze, did so with a glance of sadness usually only reserved for the death of another agent. Lee picked up his steps and quickly made his way into Billy's office.

"Billy?" He asked as he entered without knocking and closed the door behind him. "What's going on out there? Everyone looks like they lost their best agent."

"Sit down, Scarecrow." Billy sighed from behind his desk as he popped another antacid. "Something happened last night."

Lee looked around and suddenly realized he didn't see Francine. "What happened?" He almost demanded. "Is Francine…?"

"She's fine." Billy quickly reassured him. "I've got her working on something."

Lee shrugged. "Then what's with all the gloomy…" He didn't finish the question. He didn't need to. The look on Billy's face as well as a certain feeling inside of himself, gave him the answer. "What happened to Amanda?"

Billy thought he should've been surprised that Lee knew without having to be told. After all, they'd only really known each other a few months. But he wasn't surprised at all. Lee and Amanda didn't realize it, but they had already formed a bond.

"She was kidnapped last night from a filling station near her home." Billy answered mournfully. "Apparently she stopped there to get gas and two people came in to rob it. They took Amanda and her car when they left."

Lee licked his suddenly dry lips. "Are we trying to trace her car. Do we know who these men are, where they went? What about…"

"Lee," Billy cut him off, "right now we know very little. According to the man that owns the station, Amanda was paying for her gas when two people came in. They were wearing masks and had guns. He didn't see their faces but he knew one was a girl and the man's name was Shane."

"That's it?" Lee's face turned a shade crimson as he grew angry at the lack of information.

"For now, yes." Billy confirmed with an air resignation.

"What are doing to find out more?" Lee demanded. The thought of doing nothing was alien to him.

"We are doing everything we can. But as this is not a federal issue, we are limited in what we can do." Billy answered. He was as upset as Lee but he couldn't give in to his temper like his agent could.

"Not a Fed…?" Lee snapped. "Billy, it is too. Amanda's…"

"Amanda is a suburban housewife who comes in occasionally to help us out with typing and such. She is not an agent, Scarecrow." Billy's voice was gruff, but he knew it needed to be, to make Scarecrow focus. "She's…"

"I know," Lee waved him off. "She's civilian auxiliary. But she's still one of us, Billy. We can't just leave this up to the locals. They don't know Amanda. They won't…" he swallowed. "They won't work as hard or with as many resources as we have. They won't ca..." He stopped.

Billy, who hadn't missed Lee's referring to Amanda as 'one of us' or that aborted last sentence, looked with sympathy on his top agent. Lee took it personally anytime someone he was close to got hurt. "I know that, Scarecrow." Billy told him. "That's what I have Francine working on."

"And has she found anything out?" Lee asked.

"Well, they found the car." Francine answered from the now open doorway. "It was abandoned about 10 miles from the station in an alley behind a warehouse. It had a flat tire. We're checking for reports of any stolen vehicles in that area, but so far nothing."

"And Amanda?" Lee was almost afraid to ask.

"She wasn't in the car and she's not been found anywhere near the area." Francine answered. She wasn't as astute as her boss when it came to Lee and Amanda, but she knew that Lee considered Amanda to be a friend and was naturally concerned.

"Then the car was a bust?" Lee stated more than asked as he raked an agitated hand though his hair.

"So far." Francine sighed. "We can't officially do much, of course. But thanks to yours truly, we do have a source in the police department. A sexy Lieutenant there and I used to…"

"Francine." Billy arched a bushy brow at her as he got up from his deak and paced around to the front, leaning back and crossing his arms. "We don't care about your dates. What did your source say?"

"Yes, well." Francine regrouped. "Anyway, from what he told me, they're still checking out the car but so far they're coming up dry. They found fingerprints but it'll take some time to run them and see what they come up with. Other than that, though, they've found nothing."

"They couldn't have just disappeared." Billy pointed out. "There has to be some trace of them."

"Well," Francine shrugged. "If there is, the police couldn't find it. They're still searching, of course. They've got people combing the area for any trace or sight of them but so far nothing. It's all pavement so they can't even find footprints."

"I'm going out there." Lee said decisively as he got to his feet. "I'll find something."

"No, Scarecrow." Billy told him. "You going out there wouldn't solve anything. In fact it'd make things worse. DC police aren't necessarily our biggest fans, you know."

"I don't care." Lee snapped at him. "I can't just sit here and do nothing. That's my partner out there."

"I thought you didn't work with a partner." Francine arched a well sculpted blonde brow at him, earning a scowl from Lee.

"Can it, Francine." Billy told her before Lee could say anything. He had no desire to sit and listen to Lee and Francine snipe at one another.

Francine started to reply when Billy's phone rang. With a warning look at both agents, Billy went back around his desk and picked up the receiver. "Melrose." He barked into the phone. Listening for several moments, he finally nodded. "Good. Thank you."

Lee and Francine both looked at Billy expectantly as he sat the phone down.

"Well?" Lee asked.

"They've searched the area and came up dry." Billy sighed. "There's a housing addition not too far from there and the police are knocking on doors but they don't expect much."

Lee dropped his head, trying valiantly not to scream out his frustration. His happy, sunny morning had suddenly turned gloomy and sad. "What do we do now?" He asked.

Billy shrugged. "We wait."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Shane, Rita and their hostage sat in a small house, shades drawn and, for Rita at least, ears tuned to anything moving outside.

When Amanda's tire suddenly went flat, Shane continued to drive until he got the car out of sight behind the warehouse. He'd planned on changing the tire and then continuing on. Or at least he and the brunette would continue on. He'd grown tired of Rita and decided to trade up to the pretty woman sitting between them in the front seat. She talked too much, but he knew a few ways to get her to shut up.

But as Shane got out to change the tire, Rita reached over and turned on the radio, mainly to tune out the rambling of their brown haired captive.

The woman hadn't been pleading for her life, as Rita had expected. Instead she'd been telling them about her boys and life in Arlington and constantly reminding them that they needed to turn themselves in as they wouldn't get away and it'd be better for them in the long run. Several times, Rita expected Shane to slap her or worse, but he hadn't said or done a thing. Still, Rita was sure that was coming.

While Shane got into the back of the station wagon for the spare tire, Rita fiddled with the radio, finally finding a country station she liked. However, what they heard wasn't twanging guitars and nasally voices singing of un-requited love and hound dogs. What came on instead was a news alert.

"_This just in." _The announced sounded very serious._ "We just received word that a man and a woman have robbed a gas station in Arlington and escaped with cash and a hostage as well as stealing the hostage's car. The suspects are driving a white, wood paneled station wagon. The kidnap victim's name is being withheld pending notification of her family. If anyone should see these people, please call the police immediately and report their location."_

Rita pensively looked back at Shane and saw what she expected. Anger crossed his cruely handsome features and he was working hard to contain it. Shane had a violent temper when it was unleashed and something like this could push him over.

"What do we do, Shane?" Rita asked worriedly.

Shane stood back from the car and looked around them. They were hidden from view right then, but with that radio broadcast, it wouldn't take too long for someone to spot them. He didn't like walking, but the station wagon was no longer safe to be seen in.

"We walk." He said as he came back around to the driver's side and reached in, grabbing Amanda's arm and pulling her from the car. To reinforce his control of her, Shane pulled his snub-nosed revolver from his pocket and pressed it into Amanda's side. "Not one word or action that doesn't suit me. Do you understand?"

Amanda saw how very serious he was by the steely look in his blue eyes. "I understand." She answered. "But I really think you ought to…" She saw the look he shot her as he pushed the gun in tighter. "I understand."

Digging his hand painfully into her arm, Shane kept his gun firmly tucked into her side as he drug her along with him, followed somewhat reluctantly by Rita.

This was not what Rita had thought she'd signed up for. Since leaving her parents and her home town behind, she'd done some crazy and some illegal things in order to get by.

She'd prostituted herself, and occasionally shop lifted as well as crashed in houses where she knew the owners were away. Drugs and alcohol were always on the menu, when she could get them. And for the last few weeks she'd been crisscrossing the eastern half of the US with Shane, robbing one gas station or fast food place after another, stealing cars and breaking into anyplace they liked the looks of.

Although, Rita recognized that this behavior was considered wrong by normal society, she hadn't cared really. She was having fun. But this… this was not fun. She saw the look in Shane's eyes when he looked at the rambling brunette and she didn't like it. She couldn't really say she loved her tall companion but she didn't want to sit by and just watch while he took their hostage either. She didn't want to watch that at all.

"Where are we going?" Amanda asked, trying unsuccessfully to extricate her arm from Shane's grasp.

"Someplace quiet where we can get to know each other." Shane gave her a leering grin and Amanda's face flushed at the same time as her stomach rolled over and her heart pounded furiously in her chest.

Hazarding a glance behind her at the girl, she saw a sort of reluctant acceptance of things on the girl's face as she trudged along with them. Amanda had an idea that the girl didn't want this to happen anymore than she did. Only, the girl didn't look like she was much inclined to try and stop it. That would be solely up to her, she realized.

For an hour, Shane marched down one alley after another, dragging Amanda along by the arm, his gun constantly in her side, unconcerned with the blonde girl following along. He knew Rita would stay with him, as long he wanted her to. She had no place else to go, and no one else who'd take her. Looking over at the pretty woman in his clutches, he knew he'd eventually get rid of Rita in favor of this one. But not yet. Rita might still prove to be useful.

When they finally reached a small subdivision of houses with large, privacy fenced yards, Rita proved her usefulness by going up to several houses and knocking on each door, while Shane and Amanda waited in the evening shadows of a large group of trees near the entrance of the neighborhood.

It took her several tries of knocking and waiting and then apologizing for being at the wrong house, before she finally found one near the end of the block. There was no answer to her knock and the mailbox was stuffed full. There were also several newspapers piled on the front porch. It looked like someone was on vacation.

Quickly making her way back down to where Shane and Amanda waited, she told them what she'd found and together, the three of them made their way cautiously down behind the houses until they reached the back yard of the one Rita pointed out.

Shane, who didn't trust Amanda to stay quiet, despite the gun he held, had already tied Amanda's hands behind her back with one of his shoe laces and stuffed a dirty rag from his pocket into her mouth to keep her quiet. He wanted no one to spoil the fun he planned on having with her, least of all, her.

After climbing over the fence, Rita let Shane and Amanda in through a small gate at the back and the three entered into the house through an unlatched garage window. Shane was pleased to see a Ford Bronco 4x4 sitting in the garage and looking in pretty good shape. He decided he'd come back out later and check it out.

But first things first. He'd been waiting for a chance to snuggle up to the brunette. He realized he now had his chance. "Let's go party." He grinned as he pushed Amanda into the house

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

"I ain't tellin' ya again, Shane." Rita pushed against him as he sat close to Amanda, his head buried in the nape of her neck. "Leave her alone and hush up. There's cops just down the street. You want em down here?"

Shane glared at Rita but moved away finally from a very grateful Amanda. When they'd first come into the house, Shane led Amanda in and began opening doors. First bedroom he came to, he pushed her inside. But instantly, Rita pulled him away. "I'm hungry Shane. How about you?"

Shane started to refuse but he was hungry. Besides, with what he had planned for the brunette, he was going to need his strength. And, he thought, they weren't going anywhere for a while anyway. Grabbing Amanda by the arm again, he dragged her back to the front of the house, and pushed her down on the couch.

While Rita made sure the blinds were shut tightly so they could turn on a light, he leered down at her. "Sit tight." He said with a grin. "I'll be back for you."

Amanda struggled to catch her breath, not only at his words and obvious intentions but the gag, which was still in her mouth, wasn't helping either. Left alone for a few minutes, she tried to get up so that she could make a run for the front door, but with her hands tied behind her, it was hard to get up off the soft couch. By the time she got to her feet, Shane had returned and pushed her back down with a glare.

"Told you to stay put.' He snarled at her.

Amanda protested through the gag in her mouth but her muffled pleas were ignored by both of her kidnappers. Though she could tell Rita didn't care much for her, she could also tell that the girl had some sort of feelings for Shane. That meant Rita would do what she could to keep him off of her. At least Amanda hoped so.

But after eating what Rita had managed from the little that was in the kitchen, Shane instantly again planted himself close, too close, to Amanda on the couch. Though she tried to wriggle away from him, he was too strong and quick. Pulling her roughly against him, he'd begun to nuzzle her neck, his hands moving dangerously low before Rita stopped him again.

"I mean it, Shane." She hissed at him. "There's cops knocking on every door. Now do you want them to know we're here?"

Shane glowered up at her. "She's gagged." He nodded over at Amanda. "She's not going to make any noise."

"No, but you will." Rita said pointedly. "You always do. And if you don't, I will. I will not sit here and watch you… do that to her. Not in front of me. You hear?"

"Then don't watch." Shane smirked as he once again turned towards Amanda.

Just then, a pounding could be heard at the front door and everyone in the room froze for a second as a voice could be heard outside. "Police. Anyone in there?"

Shane grabbed his gun from the coffee table and pointed it at Amanda, his intent clear. He would shoot if she made any moves or noises. For several long seconds, Amanda weighed the options. If he shot, the police would most definitely be alerted then and he'd most likely not get away. But then again, she would be shot, maybe even killed. Of course he hadn't killed her so far, which was encouraging. He hadn't killed anyone, even Mr. Wilson at the gas station. But then again, he hadn't had to, because Mr. Wilson hadn't seen his face. But then, she had and that meant…

Amanda suddenly lunged forward towards him. Her hands were still tied behind her and her mouth was still gagged, but her legs weren't bound and when she got them under her, she was able to bring herself up and throw herself in his direction.

Not expecting her to try anything, Shane was caught off guard as Amanda suddenly jumped up and fell towards him. He barely had time to react as she hurtled herself in his direction, trying to either knock him down or get away. But she failed.

Shane managed to twist just enough to avoid her. Amanda's forward momentum carried her past him and across the coffee table, where she landed in a heap on the floor, the breath knocked out of her.

"Police! Open up!" A loud voice called again from the front. Apparently they had heard Amanda when she fell. "Now!"

"Shane?" Rita whispered urgently. She'd watched Amanda's ill-fated attempt but hadn't moved to either stop her or help her. Instead, she looked over at her partner. "What do we do?"

"Move." Shane demanded quietly as he grabbed up Amanda from the floor and pushed her and Rita towards the back and the garage. Once inside the garage, he opened the doors to the Bronco and shoved Amanda in, pushing her down onto the back seat as Rita climbed in the front seat. Furious pounding could still be heard at the front door and there was no doubt that it wouldn't be long before the police gained entry to the house.

The overhead door for the garage was solid with no windows, but the side door, which was just beside it, had a small window. Shane crept next to it and cautiously looked out. There was a cop standing in the driveway but no cars blocked it. That was all he needed to see.

Jumping into the driver's side of the Bronco, he reached for the ignition wires underneath the steering column in order to hot wire it, only to discover the keys dangling from the ignition. With a grin at Rita, he turned the ignition and the monster Ford roared into life.

Throwing the black 4x4 into reverse, Shane backed right through the flimsy garage door, and down the driveway, startling the three policemen who were standing on the lawn and front entry and nearly running over the one who'd been in the drive.

Giving them no heed and paying little attention to the fact that they had now pulled their guns and were demanding that he stop, Shane threw the truck into gear and barreled off down the street, barely missing another policeman. Although the officers managed to pull their guns and fire, only a couple of bullets managed to pierce the interior.

"Hang on, baby." Shane threw a grin over at Rita. "We're going to fly."

In the backseat, Amanda groaned softly and rolled to her right side. One of the bullets had penetrated the back window of the Bronco and hit her high in the left shoulder. With her hands still tied behind her, she couldn't check her injury to see how bad it was. But gauging by how bad it hurt, she was beginning to think that Shane would be the least of her problems.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

"Lee, Francine. Let's go." Billy snapped at them as he left his office, tugging on his jacket and throwing his hat on his head.

"You got something?" Lee quickly got up from the untouched paperwork on his desk. He was supposed to filling out a report on his last mission but he couldn't concentrate on it. He had something, or rather 'someone', much more important on his mind.

"That housing addition, I told you about. Someone stole a truck from there and barreled through a police line to escape."

"Well, that doesn't mean its Amanda." Francine pointed out logically as she grabbed her purse and hastily followed her boss and co-worker to the elevator.

"One of the cops on the scene said he saw a man and a woman in the front seat of the truck and a brunette woman in the back seat." Billy gave her a level look. "What does that tell you?"

Francine nodded. It was Amanda.

"They got away?" Lee asked with irritation. "They just let them get away?"

"They didn't just 'let' them, Scarecrow. But they did get out of the edition and onto the highway." Billy answered as the elevator doors closed and they climbed to the street floor. "One of the policemen, there, managed to get in his car and give pursuit. He didn't lose them til they made it to the mountains in Western Virginia."

"Well, that's good isn't it?" Francine asked. "If we know where they are we can go in and…"

"But we don't know where they are." Billy stopped her. Having reached the street level floor, all three exited the elevator and tossed their badges to Mrs. Marsden as they headed for the door. "They stole a four wheel drive truck." Billy looked at his two best agents. "When they got into the mountains the police car couldn't keep up. They lost them."

Billy let that information sink in as they walked out to the parking area. Looking at Lee and Francine, he knew they understood how bad a situation Amanda was in. "Lee, I want you to go home and change your clothes. You're most likely going to be going cross country. Dress for it. Francine and I are going to get a command center set up where the police lost them."

Lee didn't answer, just nodded as he pulled his keys out and started toward his car.

"And Lee." Billy stopped him. "Since he took Amanda across the line into Virginia, this case is now ours. I want you ready to do what ever it takes to get her back."

Lee nodded and turned away again with a determined set to his jaw. Billy was giving him carte blanche to do what ever he thought necessary to find Amanda and get her back, and that included killing the two who had taken her. Lee never took pleasure in that part of his job, but he didn't shy away from it if it was necessary. If that's what it took to find and get Amanda home, he would have no problem with it.

**L&AL&AL&AL&AL&A**

The Bronco had held together pretty well as Shane drove ever further into the mountains, taking one dirt trail after another, making sure to stay as much under the canopy of trees as possible. They hadn't heard any planes, he knew they'd lost the cop following them, and the dark color of the vehicle helped hide it in the darkness, but he was taking no chances. He kept going ever upward.

However, he finally took a path that even the Ford couldn't navigate and about halfway up, it high centered on the uneven terrain and came to a halt.

"Damn!" Shane growled as he threw open his door and jumped out of the truck. It was deeply dark out but Shane had enough moonlight to tell that there was no way short of a tow truck that could get that truck out of this. "Alright." He opened up the door of the truck and pushed up his seat. "We're going to have to walk."

"Where to?" Rita demanded as Shane grabbed Amanda roughly by the arm and started pulling her out of the truck. "Oh, God, Shane. She's hit." Rita gasped when she caught sight of Amanda's bloody shoulder in the dim glow of the dome light.

Shane stopped and looked at Amanda's shoulder before his eyes went to hers. He could tell she was in pain and was frightened, but he also saw a strength in her gaze that told him she'd do what she needed to, to survive. "Come on, get out." He relaxed his grip a little but didn't release her until she was out of the truck and leaning heavily against its flank.

Rita scrambled out of the truck and ran around to the driver's side. Reaching out, she gently pulled Amanda's blouse back and looked at the wound. "I ain't no doctor." She shook her head. "But that don't look too good. Reaching up, she untied the gag around Amanda's mouth and shoved it against the wound, pulling Amanda's shirt back over it. "Best I could do." She shrugged.

Amanda took in several long swallows of air. Her shoulder was throbbing unmercifully and she was feeling lightheaded, but she couldn't let this man know that. She couldn't let him see any weakness, lest he decide killing her would be easier than taking her along and letting her live. "What are you going to do now?" She looked at Shane.

Shane looked around him and then back at Amanda. "I've already told you. We're going to walk. I was up here about a year ago. If I'm not mistaken, there are some camp sites north east of here. I figure we see if we can find one of those and get us some wheels and maybe some food."

"Why don't you leave me here?" Amanda asked. "I'm hurt. I'll slow you down."

Shane grinned. "And have you miss out on all the fun that's to come? Uh, huh, lady. You go with us." Shane reached out and grabbed Amanda by her left arm, jarring her shoulder and causing her to cry out. "You'd better cut that out." Shane warned. "Or I will leave you here, only with another bullet to match the first. You understand?"

Amanda closed her eyes and nodded. "But can't you untie my hands? My arm is hurting pretty badly."

"No." Shane answered as he took a step back and pulled his pistol, pointing it at her. "Go."

Amanda took a deep breath and started forward, nervously looking all around her. Though it was dark, her eyes had adjusted enough that she could see her surroundings. They were in a deep section of woods with little to differentiate it from any other sections of woods.

But suddenly, as they came upon the top of a small ridge, Amanda realized she recognized the area. If Shane was correct and there were camp sights to the northeast of them, then she knew exactly where they were. She'd been up here with the Junior Trailblazers as well as when she was young and her dad took her camping.

She knew just off to the left they would come upon a small, narrow dirt path with a large boulder on the side that would lead back to the main road. The terrain was uneven and wild and would be extremely difficult to navigate with her hands tied behind her back and her shoulder injured. But as she saw it, she had no choice. She couldn't let these people victimize even more people and she had to get away. She had two little boys that depended on it.

Keeping her eyes focused carefully on the left side of the road, she finally spotted the path. Amanda glanced behind her. Shane wasn't looking directly at her. He had turned and was looking behind them. That was the only chance she knew she'd get.

Taking another deep breath, she suddenly turned and plunged down the path away from her kidnappers.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Lee barreled home as fast as his car could take him. Rushing inside he quickly changed into a shirt, sweatshirt and jeans. He was about to leave when his mind flashed on Amanda and one of her tales about the Junior Trailblazers.

With a shake of his head, he turned back, grabbed a backpack from his hall closet, stuffed in a thin blanket, a small first aid kit, a canteen full of water and a box of matches. Always be prepared for anything, she'd told him. He wasn't sure the contents of his backpack would pass her inspection, but it was the best he could do on short notice.

Rushing back outside, he jumped back into his car and literally peeled rubber as he sped out of the parking lot and out onto the highway. Billy had given him the coordinates of where they would be and he was going to waste no time in getting there.

As he drove, his mind centered the reason for his late night dash across the border into the Virginia mountains. Amanda. For a reason he couldn't explain, even to himself, she had become important to the aloof and stoic agent. He had fought against it, distanced himself as much as he possibly could and even at times purposely pushed her away. And he still wasn't ready to admit, to anyone, that he cared about her, not even to himself.

But Amanda, with a fierce determination unlike any he'd ever seen, refused to give up on him. She had claimed him as her friend and she stuck with him, even when others hadn't. Others who had known him a lot longer and a lot better.

And of course, Lee felt responsible for the brunette housewife with the shy smile and expressive brown eyes. He was, after all, the one who had gotten her into this crazy spy business. And even though, he knew, this had nothing to do with the Agency, it didn't lessen his feeling of being responsible for what happened to her.

Pressing his foot a little harder on the gas pedal, Lee nodded to himself at the conclusions he'd come to. He was racing to Amanda's rescue because she was a friend and a colleague and nothing more. That tiny little voice that screamed otherwise was pushed back and down and ignored.

**L&AL&AL&AL&A**

Hurt, weak and with her hands still bound behind her, Amanda still proved to be more than a match for the man and woman who were pursuing her through the woods.

When she'd first taken off, it momentarily stunned Shane and Rita as they didn't expect her to have the strength or ability to do so. They recovered quickly and instantly gave chase but Amanda knew a few things about these woods that they didn't, like the small cave she was now hiding in.

Phillip had actually found it the last time they'd been up here and Amanda remembered it because of its close proximity to the little path and the large tree near the front of it, which resembled a bear in the shadows and pretty well hid the entrance. Crouching down, she had just managed to conceal herself when she heard her kidnappers coming close.

"She's got to be around here somewhere." She heard Shane say. "She was hurt and her hands were tied. She couldn't go that far."

"Yeah, well unless you got x-ray vision or something, I don't see how we're gonna find her." Rita replied. "Look, Shane. Let's forget her. Let's go on to those camp sites you talked about, get us a car and get out of here. Just cause we lost those cops behind us, don't mean they ain't others out there. We kidnapped a woman, Shane. They're gonna be looking hard for us. I say we leave her here and get out while we can. It gets daylight and they're gonna have planes up looking for us."

Shane knew what Rita was telling him was the truth and he knew he should for once listen to her. But something inside of him refused to do so. Since he'd first laid eyes on the brunette at the gas station, he'd wanted her. And when she fought back at him and even now, gotten away from him, it had made him want her more.

So, he continued in vain to scan the area around them. They didn't have a flashlight and the dim glow of the moon shining through the trees were barely enough to keep them from walking into a tree, much less find anyone in the dense woods around them. But he wasn't about to give up, not yet.

Inside the confines of the small den, Amanda had, despite the great amount of pain it caused, managed to rake her bound hands back and forth across the course rock behind her until finally she'd broken through the shoestring and freed her hands.

Gingerly, she brought her arms back around front and laying a hand on her wounded shoulder, sank back against the cave wall for a few minutes to rest while she decided what to do next. She could still hear Shane and Rita nearby, so she wasn't about to stir from her shelter. But she knew enough first aid, to know that staying where she was for too long could mean her death.

She could tell the bleeding had slowed somewhat, but she didn't believe it had stopped and as it was cool out, there was a great possibility of going into shock if she tried to stay put. She was already cold, even as she felt the sweat form on her brow, and her mouth was getting dry. She needed to keep moving, but how?

Her answer came in the form of a large beam of light from overhead. Taking the risk, Amanda pushed herself to the entrance of the cave and looked out. There was a large helicopter sweeping the area with a strong beam of light. Apparently the truck had been discovered but not her or her pursuers.

Amanda wanted to jump out right then and there and try for the pilot's attention. But before she could even try to get up, the chopper turned and went back the other direction.

"I told ya, Shane." Rita grumbled. "They got copters looking for us. We're in it deep now."

"Not if we find her." Shane snapped back at her. "She's the only one that can identify us. We find her and kill her and we're home free. You understand? All we have to do is find her and kill her."

TBC

**AN: Sorry for the delay in posting. But my computer has ailing. (It's like me, getting older by the day)**

**And thank you all so much for the reviews. I do appreciate the kind words. It makes all the work worth it.**


	8. Chapter 8

Lee made it to the command center, Billy and Francine set up, just after dawn. He had spotted a helicopter traveling back and forth over a section of woods and reversing and heading the other way. But he doubted they'd see anything even if they were directly overhead. The tree canopy was too thick.

When he pulled in next to the cluster of cars and trucks parked near a narrow path, he saw Francine heading his way. She reached him before he could even get out of the car.

"We've found the truck." She informed him. "It's stuck about ten miles in."

"Any sign of Amanda?" Lee asked anxiously.

Francine looked down before raising saddened blue eyes to his. "There's no sign of anybody near the truck. The ground's rocky though and until the last 15 minutes it was too dark to see much. As you saw we've got the helicopter up but so far he hasn't spotted anything."

Lee had worked with Francine for far too long to not notice that there was something she wasn't telling him. "What else?" He watched her face and knew she was definitely avoiding saying something.

"Lee…" She started but Billy interrupted her.

"Francine tell you about the truck?" He asked tersely as he walked up beside them.

"Not all of it." Lee answered with a sideways glance at his blonde co-worker.

Billy glanced at Francine as well before looking back at Lee. "We found blood in the back seat." Billy told him, watching the anger spread across his face. Swiftly he reached out and grabbed Lee's arm. "We don't know that it's Amanda's. It could be one of the suspects."

Lee glared at his boss. "That DC cop said he saw Amanda in the back seat."

"No." Billy said firmly. "He said he saw a brunette. Since we don't know what the woman suspect looks like, it could be her. Now, I don't want you flying off the handle, Scarecrow. Amanda's life depends on us finding her and the people who have her and we can't do that with you taking off angry and half-cocked."

Lee took a deep breath. Although he knew Billy was right, it didn't change the angry terror he felt at the thought that Amanda could be hurt, maybe seriously. "Just point me in the direction of the truck." He said rigidly.

Billy declined to offer any further instructions knowing it'd do no good. His point had been made. He knew Lee would do whatever it took to find Amanda and bring out her safe if at all possible. He just hoped it would be possible. "The terrain is rugged and steep." He said instead. "A local rancher volunteered a horse and his assistance as a guide. I suggest you take both."

Lee started to refuse the guide. He didn't want anyone to slow him down, but common sense told him the guide would actually be of benefit as he didn't know the area. If they did find Amanda and her kidnappers, he could always send the guide back then and he would deal with the bandits alone. "Alright," he sighed.

"Good," Billy smiled slightly as held out a black box to Lee. "Take this with you as well. It's a radio. Not sure you can get a signal up there but if you can, let us know what you find."

"Fine." He said as he reached into his car, grabbed his back pack, snatched the radio from Billy's hand and headed over to where the rancher and his horses waited.

"Lee," Billy stopped him after he'd mounted. "Bring her and yourself home in one piece. Understand?"

Lee nodded before turning his horse and following the rancher up the mountainside.

"I sure hope he finds her and she's okay." Francine said as she stood next to Billy and watched him ride off.

Billy sighed. "I do too, or heaven help her kidnappers and Lee too."

**L&AL&AL&AL&A**

Amanda sat pensively in the shelter of the cave, struggling to stay awake and listening as hard as she could for the voices of the two, who were searching for her. When she was certain they had moved completely away to the north, she pulled herself from the den, she'd sought shelter in, and looked around.

She was dizzy and weak and shivering but she pushed her physical complaints as far away as she could, determined to make her way to safety. She was no tracker, but she knew enough to be able to tell which direction she was facing and which direction she should go.

The truck they'd left behind was east of her, but though she'd heard Rita and Shane north of her, she wasn't so sure they wouldn't double back to it. Normally, in a situation where one was lost in the woods, the rule of thumb was to hug a tree and wait for someone to find her. But in this case, Amanda was afraid hugging a tree could get her killed.

She knew, by the earlier sighting of the helicopter, that somebody was looking and most probably for her, but as long as she remained in the cover of the thick trees, she doubted they'd ever spot her before her abductors did. As far as she could see, her only option was to try and walk to safety. She wasn't certain exactly how far the main road was from where she was, and she wasn't certain she'd have the strength to make it, but she didn't believe she had any choice but to try.

Clasping her hand tightly across her injured shoulder, Amanda turned southwest and began to walk.

To the north east of her, Shane and Rita sat on a large rock, trying to catch their breath and get their bearings. Shane had driven them to exhaustion and as of yet they hadn't caught any sight of Amanda.

"Shane, we ain't gonna find her. Now, why don't we just go on to them campsites, find us a car and get out of here."

"Because I say we don't." Shane glared at her. "That woman can identify us, stupid. She is the only one who knows what we look like and I want her to be the last. Now, we need to find her."

Rita looked at her companion appraisingly. "That ain't the only reason though, is it, Shane?" Watching his face, she knew she was right. "You was planning on taking her and she got away. You can't stand not getting what you want, huh? Your parents spoiled you too much, Shane. They shoulda taught ya that you can't get everything you want."

Without warning, Shane struck out and slapped Rita across the face. "I'll get her." He snarled. "I'll get her and when I do, she'll pay for making me wait." Getting to his feet, Shane turned and started back to the south west. "You can sit there and hold your face or come with me." He told Rita as he walked away. "I'm going to find her."

Rita sat for a moment longer, cradling her bruised jaw as she watched him walk off. She'd known from the day she met him that he was violent. He made his living holding up people and places after all. But he'd never hit her before.

For several long moments as he moved away, Rita evaluated her decisions. Did she want to go with him or strike out on her own for those campsites he'd mentioned?

Though she'd been born and raised in a rural county in Arkansas, Rita was no woodsman. She knew she'd most likely never find her way out of there without help, and right then, her only help was walking away from her. Taking a deep breath, Rita shook her head at the situation she was in, gained her feet and struck off after Shane.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Four hours after Shane and Rita struck off to the west, Lee and the as of yet nameless rancher approached the truck.

Though for Lee's tastes, the horses moved too slowly up the mountainside, they eventually found the spot where the abandoned truck still sat, doors standing open. Without even looking into the back seat, Lee could feel the anger washing over him at the thought of Amanda's blood covering it.

The rancher an older man with iron gray hair and mustache and a powerful physique born of long days of hard work, had dismounted and his faded blue eyes intensely studied the rocky ground around the vehicle.

"Find anything?" Lee asked.

For several seconds the rancher said nothing then finally remounted his horse and pointed straight ahead. "They're afoot and going straight forward." He told him.

Lee nodded and pulled out the radio, Billy gave him. But after several tries, he found it useless. He couldn't get a signal of any kind.

"Ain't nothing like that works up here." The older man told him. "Up here smoke signals work best."

Lee didn't ask how the man knew that, he simply followed along as the rancher rode forward, his eyes glued to the ground they were passing over.

They had covered about half a mile when the man suddenly reined in and held his hand up. "Peers they forked to the left here. There's a narrow path leads around to the main road, if ya follow it long enough. One of em's ahead of the other two."

Lee looked at the man with some amazement. "Say, who are you anyway?" He asked. "Festus Hagen." He remembered the character from the old western that had been purported to be the best at tracking.

"Fergus." The man looked up at Lee as he grabbed his reins and swiftly mounted his horse. "Festus was a character on a TV show. I ain't."

Lee declined to comment as the rancher turned his horse and headed down the narrow dirt track. For about an hour, Fergus rode as before, half way off the saddle, intently watching the ground as they passed over it. "Whoa." He finally called over his shoulder as he dismounted and crouched low to the ground.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

Fergus didn't answer as he studied the ground then looked to the north, finally grabbing his reins and walking in that direction.

"You find something?" Lee asked as he too got off his horse and started following the older man.

"Yup." Fergus answered without elaboration.

"What?" Lee was getting frustrated with Fergus and the slow pace he was setting. He wanted… no, if he were truthful with himself, he _needed_ to find Amanda. He was worried about what might be happening to her as the old man with him took his time.

Fergus understood the younger man's frustration, but he also understood some things couldn't be hurried. And this was one of those things. Finally satisfying himself as to what he was seeing, Fergus literally began running up a small slope just to his right, finally making it to a small den. Lee was right behind him.

Looking over the rancher's shoulder, Lee gasped when he saw the blood on the wall of the small cave and a pair of broken shoetrings. "Oh God." He managed.

"Woman got away from the other two and took shelter here for a while. The other two forked north." Fergus told Lee as he looked around. "Ain't sure how long she stayed here but peers she got back out and struck off that a way." He pointed to their southwest. "She's smart." He said with some admiration. "She's heading in the right direction for the main road. But bleeding like she is, she ain't likely to make it. She's bound to be awful weak by now."

Lee swallowed hard, not wanting to hear that or even think that. Closing his eyes, he turned back to his horse and grabbed the reins. "Let's go." He said gruffly.

Fergus nodded without reply. He didn't know who this woman was, other then what that Melrose feller had told him, but he wasn't blind. This young man cared about the woman they were tracking. Even if the young man didn't know it, Fergus did. Hauling himself back onto his horse, Fergus turned them in the right direction and rode on.

But all too soon he stopped again and pointed at the ground. "There's two more joined the race." He stated pointing to the ground. "Those from earlier doubled back and they're on her trail. I ain't sure if they've caught her by now or not. But if they ain't, they soon will. They're right behind her."

Lee clenched his teeth but didn't have to say a thing as Fergus understood his expression. "We're on horseback, they ain't. We'll catch em soon enough." He said as he kicked his horse in gear and took off, Lee right behind him.

**L&AL&AL&AL&AL&AL&A**

Further to the southwest, Amanda sat under the low branches of a spreading evergreen, trying hard to quiet her breathing and remain still. Shane and Rita had found her tracks and were within a few yards of her. She had managed, despite her weakness and pain, to keep on her feet and keep going, but all too soon she'd heard them coming up behind her.

Looking wildly around, the only place she could find to hide was beneath the low hanging branches. Ducking down, she'd climbed in and sat back wearily against the trunk, hoping that they'd not find her.

"You sure you saw her?" Rita asked Shane as he continued to walk around the area, looking at the ground. "I mean there's probably all kinds of things in these woods besides her and us. You sure it wasn't no deer or something?"

Shane scowled at her before returning his gaze to ground. "I know the difference between a deer and a woman, Rita. It was her." Taking another few steps, Shane suddenly stiffened and stopped. Looking back at Rita, he raised a finger to his lips to quieten her as he moved closer to a tall evergreen just to his right.

Rita knew better than to speak. She didn't want him slapping her again. Besides, she had a feeling; Shane had finally caught his prey.

She was right.

Taking two steps closer to the tree, Shane suddenly threw himself to the ground and under the branches of the tree, coming out a couple of seconds later, with Amanda's right arm held tightly in his grip. "Look what I found."

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Taking two steps closer to the tree, Shane suddenly threw himself to the ground and under the branches of the tree, coming out a couple of seconds later, with Amanda's right arm held tightly in his grip. "Look what I found."

He grinned as he dragged Amanda completely out from under the tree. "Glad to see me?" He practically giggled as he pulled her to her feet.

"Let me go." Amanda pleaded as she weakly struggled against him.

But Shane's grip was strong and Amanda's strength was waning fast. Still, she wasn't about to give up. Raising a leg, she kicked Shane between the legs as hard as she could.

Roaring with pain and anger, he lashed out and struck her across the cheek, knocking her back down to the ground. "Right where I want you." He said, as he started down after her.

But he had barely bent over her when suddenly out of nowhere an angry man on a brown horse came sweeping in. Jumping from the horse, Lee landed squarely on Shane's back, knocking him flat.

Both men went to the ground but Lee was up first, grabbing a stunned Shane by the front of his shirt, he pulled him up and punched him as hard as he could. Shane put up a feeble defense but he was no match for the furious agent. Pulling his fist back, Lee struck again and again and again and was pulling back for another blow when Fergus finally got to him and grabbed his arm.

"He's already out, Son." Fergus told him. "Ain't no use in pounding dirt. Sides, your little girl over there needs your attention." He nodded over to where Amanda laid sprawled out on the ground, looking at him like he was a ghost.

Lee dropped Shane to the ground and stumbled over to Amanda as Fergus looked at a stunned Rita and shook his head. "Ya best not try and go nowhere." He told her. "There ain't nowhere to run and no way you can get away lessin' ya want what your boyfriend got."

Numbly, Rita nodded and sank to the ground besides Shane, knowing their adventure was over.

When Lee reached Amanda, he gently reached for her and pulled her up to lay her head in his lap, Fergus' words ringing in his head. "Your little girl." Was she?

"Amanda?" He swallowed hard, as he noticed the torn and bloody shirt and how pale she was.

"Hey, there, Lee." Amanda smiled despite the pain she was in. "I've been waiting on you. Where's your white horse."

Lee grinned despite himself. "It was dirty, I had to take the brown one instead."

Amanda nodded slightly. "Guess it'll have to do." She said before finally giving into the blackness that had been courting her for most of the day.

"Amanda?" Lee quickly checked her pulse, relieved to find it but worried at how fast it was. "Fergus," he looked back over at the rancher who had taken a section of rope and managed to tie up the two bandits. "I need your horse. Mine ran off and I've got to get Amanda out of here."

"Wouldn't do ya much good." Fergus said regretfully. "Mine stepped in a hole back there. He's gonna be laid up for a spell."

Lee looked at Amanda and then back at Fergus. "I'll carry her then." He said resolutely. "I've got to get her to help."

But Fergus put a hand on his shoulder. "You wouldn't make it carrying her. The main road ain't too far west of here. You give me that fancy radio of yours and I'll walk down there and call for help. The ornery horse of mine ain't likely to come back for a spell till he's got his run out of him."

Lee nodded and pulled the back pack off, reaching in and pulling out the radio. "Here." He said as he handed it to the rancher. "Just pull up this antenna and press this button to speak."

"Will do er." Fergus nodded as he took the radio and looked over at Shane and Rita. "Them two's tied up good. Ain't no need of your messing with them. Understand?"

Lee glared over at where Rita sat next to a still unconscious Shane. "I understand." He answered. And he did. Fergus was afraid Lee would finish what he started with Shane. Though the thought was tempting, Lee resolved not to give in to it. Right then Amanda was his only concern and worry.

Taking a final look at him, Fergus nodded, turned and walked off heading west. "Be back as quick as I can." He called over his shoulder.

Lee didn't answer as he carefully laid Amanda down, took off his jacket and balled it up, putting it under her head. Then reaching into the backpack, he pulled out the blanket and draped it across her. Pulling out the water and the first aid kit, he pulled out a small package of gauze. It wasn't nearly big enough to either clean her wound or dress it.

Pulling off his sweatshirt, he took off his shirt, tore it into strips and used that instead, making a crude field bandage out of the back. It wasn't good but it was the best he could do right then.

Looking up, he saw saddle bags on Fergus's horse and got up, crossing over to look into them. He found a bandana in one and a small handgun in the other. He put the gun in his waistband and took the bandana back to Amanda wetting it down and wiping her slightly fevered brow with it.

"You care a lot for her, don't ya?" Rita asked watching him. She'd seen the gentleness he'd displayed and the way he looked at the stricken woman.

Lee didn't look at her. "She's my friend." He answered as he continued his ministrations.

"Ut uh," Rita shook her head jealous of what she saw. "She's more'n that to ya. The way you come swooping in and started punching Shane, she's a lot more'n that."

Lee didn't answer. He couldn't answer. He didn't want to examine his feelings for Amanda. For far too long he had convinced himself that it was best for him to be alone and stay alone. Amanda did not fit into his life.

Still, a small part of him that Lee pushed down with as much force as possible, screamed at him that Rita was right. He cared a lot about Amanda. He hadn't wanted to and he sure wasn't willing to admit it, but deep inside of himself, he recognized the truth of it.

"She gonna die?" Rita asked.

"No!" Lee snapped at her without thinking. "No," his voice was softer the second time around but trembled slightly. "She won't."

"Awful glad to hear that, Scarecrow." Amanda smiled up at him. She had come to just as Rita had asked. "Who'd watch your tail if I did?"

Lee broke out into a grin and without thinking leaned over kissing her on the cheek. "Nobody." He answered. "Guess I'm stuck with you."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

While they waited for Fergus to summon help, Lee gently tended to Amanda as best as he could without any real supplies. He gave her water as it was all he had. But Amanda didn't want water. What she wanted was already there.

"Hey!" Shane, who'd come back around by then, protested. "What about us? We haven't had anything since last night?"

Lee gritted his teeth as he gently lifted Amanda's head and helped to take another sip of water. "You'll survive." Was all he said.

"Hey!' Shane refused to shut up. "We want some of that water you're wasting on her. We could use some too."

Lee turned and glared over at the cocky kidnapper. "The only thing I'm going to give you is a few more bruises if you don't shut up."

"Lee." Amanda softly called his name and placed a hand on his arm to calm him. "It's alright."

Lee looked back down at her and took a deep breath of air. "You're hurt, Amanda. It is most definitely NOT alright."

"I'll be fine." Amanda answered. "You came and found me, like I knew you would. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Shane sounded behind him again. "But Rita and I aren't. You pounded me for no reason, Mister. You have nothing on us. We just came across her and were going to help her when you jumped me. I think I may have to sue you and the whole frigging government for violating my rights. You have no right…"

His words trailed off as Lee, who'd had more than enough of his mouth, swiftly moved over to him, pulled him up and landed a heavy blow to his jaw, silencing him for a while. Shane went limp in his hands and he dropped him back to the ground and looked over at Rita. "You got something to say?"

Rita swallowed hard as she stared down at Shane but looking into the hazel eyes of the agent, she just knew he wouldn't hurt her. Shane had been asking for what he got, but she had an idea if she played things straight, this man might help her. "We done it." She said softly.

"What?" Lee's forehead crinkled into a frown.

"We done it. We robbed that gas station and we took her. We didn't shoot her though. You gotta believe that. One of them cops that fired at us back at them houses done that. But we done everything else."

"You willing to swear to that?" Lee asked, watching her closely.

Rita nodded her head as she looked across at Amanda. "I didn't want to take her at all, but Shane did. He wanted her. Said she was the prettiest thing he'd seen in a while. He was gonna…" She stopped and took a deep breath. She didn't want to say waht he was gonna do and besides, she was ashamed for her part in what had been done to the wounded woman lying across from her.

"I'll swear to it." She finished lamely.

Lee said no more as he sunk back down to the ground beside Amanda to wait for help.

As he did so, Amanda smiled gently at him. She didn't speak, but she didn't need to.

True to his word, Fergus wasted no time in getting to a spot where he could get a clear signal and radio for help. Given near perfect coordinates from the rancher, help arrived in the form of a brown sedan with an anxious Billy Melrose at the wheel followed by an ambulance and two state troopers. Francine had stayed at the command center to close it down.

"How is she?" Billy demanded as he barreled out of the car.

"Hello, Sir." Amanda called out weakly. "I'm alright." She said even as the grimace on her face gave lie to her words.

"She has a fever and she's been chilling." Lee told the ambulance crew as they settled down next to Amanda and began to assess her condition. "She has a bullet in her shoulder."

Billy maintained a calm outward appearance but inside he was quaking as he looked down the young woman he'd become so fond of. When one of the medics pulled back her blood encrusted shirt, he had to turn his head. When he did so, his eyes landed on the bruised and swollen face of a man lying on the ground, his hands tied tightly behind him. A scared looking girl sat next him, her hands tied as well.

"The kidnappers?" Billy looked over at Lee.

"Yeah" Lee answered with a scowl. "He wouldn't shut his mouth, so I shut it for him. She confessed to the whole thing."

Billy nodded but refrained from saying anything else. He was glad for the confession but he knew when they got back, he'd most likely have to pull some major strings to keep Lee out of trouble for beating the man. Still, looking down at Amanda's pale face, he figured it'd be worth it. As a matter of fact, he was almost hoping the stringy headed bandit would open his mouth again so he could have a chance at him.

Lee stepped up close to Billy while the medics tended Amanda and gingerly lifted her onto a stretcher and the state troopers pulled Shane and Rita up, escorting them to their cars. "You might want to have one of the medics look at him." Lee told the trooper who had Shane in his grasp. "He fell down hard earlier and hit his head."

"Yes, sir." The trooper almost grinned. He didn't need to ask how the bandit had fallen. He had a pretty good idea.

"I didn't fall!" Shane protested. "He beat me."

The trooper looked over at Rita. "That so, Ma'am? That agent beat him?"

Rita glanced at Shane and then back over to where Lee stood with an older man. "No, sir." She answered. "It's like the agent said, Shane fell."

Shane opened his mouth to protest but he recieved no chance as the trooper opened his car door and pushed him into the back seat.

Billy watched them for a moment and then turned and appraised his top agent as he stood beside him. "Are you alright?"

Lee didn't reply for a moment as he considered the question. Was he okay? Physically, yes. He was just fine physically. But how about otherwise. When he had seen that man reaching towards Amanda and had seen the look on her face, he had been in a blind fury. He had wanted to hurt that man permanently for what he'd done to Amanda. But why?

Amanda was his friend. That was true and Lee had always been protective of his friends. But was that all? Could there be any other reason? For several seconds he considered that possibility but finally rejected it. Pushing that thought as far from him as possible. No. There was no other reason. He had simply been protecting his friend and a civilian the same as he would've anyone else.

Having resolved that in his mind, he finally looked back over at Billy with a half-smile. "I'm fine." He answered.

Billy simply nodded, refraining from pointing out the way Lee looked at Amanda, as the medics pushed her towards the waiting ambulance and loaded her in, as something more than friendly concern. "You going to ride with me?"

Lee looked over at Billy then back towards the ambulance. "I'll see you at the hospital, Billy." Lee said as he ran over and climbed into the back just before the attendant closed the door.

"Lee?" Amanda questioned around the oxygen mask the ambulance attendant had placed on her face.

"I'm staying with you, Amanda." Lee smiled down at her. "You get into too much trouble when I'm not around."

Amanda returned the smile and nodded as she closed her eyes. The mask made it hard for her to talk but she communicated her feelings quite well, when she reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

"Amanda?" Dotty's voice resounded through the house as she came into the kitchen and saw Amanda, left arm in sling, wiping down the kitchen counter. "Darling, what are you doing?"

"Oh, just cleaning up a little, Mother." Amanda answered glancing for the fifth time in as many minutes out the kitchen window.

"Amanda, you know what the doctor told you. You need to rest. You shouldn't be up and doing anything." Dotty shook her head at her daughter's stubbornness. "Honey, you were shot. Remember? It's a wonder you weren't killed." Dotty reached over and took the cloth from Amanda's hand and laid it on the counter.

"Mother, I am fine." Amanda was trying to hide her exasperation. Her mother had been wonderful to her while she had been in the hospital and since she'd gotten out three days ago, but her constant concern and worry was beginning to get on her nerves. "Honestly, Mother. I'm tired of lying around. I need to be up and doing something."

Dotty shook her head again and started to give Amanda an argument when the doorbell rang. "Sit down, Amanda." She tossed over her shoulder as she headed to the front. "I'll get the door."

Realizing her mother wouldn't let up unless she complied, Amanda started towards the family room, when she heard a familiar tapping at the back door. Casting a quick glance towards the front, Amanda hurried to the back door and let herself out.

"Hey." She smiled warmly at him when she stepped out and led him around to the side of the house. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he grinned. "But then again, I wasn't the one who was shot. The question is; how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Lee." She was so happy to see him. "Doctor said I shouldn't have any problems at all with my shoulder when it's completely healed."

"Good." Lee said as he took a step closer. "I, uh, I'm sorry I've haven't been around much. But, well, between the doctors and your mother it was pretty hard to get in to the hospital."

He didn't mention the three times he'd snuck in late at night, after her mother had gone home. Dressed as an orderly, he'd been able to get past nurses and security both to look in on her.

"I uh, paid the delivery driver at the front door to keep your mother occupied for a few minutes so I could check on you." He grinned at her.

"Lee!" Amanda's eyes widened even as she giggled.

Lee's grin softened as he continued. "I was out of town on an assignment when you got out of the hoepital or I would've been here sooner."

"Aw, that's alright, Lee. I understand." Amanda ducked her head.

Lee took another step closer though and gently lifted her head to look her in the eyes. "Maybe, but I don't want you to think I didn't ca… that I wasn't concerned about you." He quickly corrected himself.

He had no intentions of going anywhere near the whole caring thing. He still refused to admit, even to himself, _especially to himself_, that he did care about her as anything more than a friendly co-worker.

Amanda didn't reply immediately as she looked up at him. She didn't know how to reply. Did he almost admit that he cared about her? 'No.' She thought. 'That couldn't possibly be what he meant.'

"Thank you, Lee." She finally answered as she pulled back from him. Being that near to Lee Stetson was a little intoxicating and even unnerving on some levels. "Uh, is that the only reason you came?" She asked as she leaned back against the house, careful to put no pressure on her shoulder.

"Uhm… huh?" She had caught him off guard. He had been thinking how pretty she was and his eyes had traveled from her expressive, warm brown eyes down to her lips and… And he was grateful she had interrupted his thoughts.

"Did you only come here to tell me you were concerned?" Amanda repeated, watching him closely. He definitely had something on his mind, but she couldn't tell just exactly what that was.

"Oh. Oh, no." Lee coughed to hide his embarrassment. "Uh, I talked to Billy before coming over here. Rita's still singing like a bird to anyone who'll listen. Seems her and her partner were old hands at robbing places and people. According to her, they've been holding places up in four different states. With what she's given us, it doesn't look like they'll get out of prison anytime soon. Or at least he won't. Billy is talking to the prosecutor about giving her some leniency since she confessed and is being so helpful."

"Oh." Amanda nodded.

"Oh?" Lee frowned. "I thought you'd be happy about that."

"Oh, I am." Amanda assured him with a shrug. "It's just that, well, you know. I hate to hear of anyone spending the rest of their lives in prison and…"

"Amanda." Lee once again closed the distance between them. "They made their bed, now let them lie in it. Don't waste your sympathy on them. They don't deserve it. You were the one who was hurt in this. Remember? You didn't ask those two to intersect your life with this… this…" Lee stopped and looked away, realizing he was getting angry all over again at what they had done to the beautiful woman in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back down at her. "Don't give them another thought. Okay?"

Amanda nodded. "Alright. And thank you, Lee."

Lee furrowed his brow. "For what? Keeping you from pitying them?"

"No, for saving me out there." She almost whispered, afraid the tone of her voice would reveal more than she wanted it to. "I was really scared there for a while until I saw you literally riding to my rescue. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come."

"You're welcome, Amanda." Lee said softly as he moved even closer, the tempation to take her in his arms was beginning to be too hard to resist. "To tell you the truth I was…"

"Amanda?" Dotty's voice came from the family room.

"I was just about to take off." Lee finished and he took two hasty steps backwards and turned to leave. "I'll see ya later, Amanda."

Amanda nodded as Lee swiftly disappeared from sight.

"Amanda? What are you doing out here?" Dotty arched a brow at her daughter when she opened the back door to find her daughter coming around the side of the house. "Didn't I tell you, you need to rest? You have no business being out here. There's nothing out here for you to rest on."

"I just needed some air, Mother." Amanda protested as she glanced once more at the empty back yard and then followed her mother inside. "Besides, I like the back yard."

"I swear, Amanda." Dotty practically glared at her daughter. "You act like there's a pot of gold back there. You're constantly looking out there or disappearing out there to get some air. If I didn't know better, I'd think you had someone hiding back there, like a prince in shining armor." She stopped and smiled at her own words. "Now wouldn't that be something to find? A prince in shining armor in our backyard."

Amanda smiled softly, ignoring the rest of her mother's rambling. "You never know, Mother." She whispered. "You never know."

The End.


End file.
